Tiếng Việt · Idiom Attested

buôn quan tám bán quan tư

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Buy at eight quan, sell at four — commerce conducted at half price; the losing trade.

Literally: buy at eight strings, sell at four

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “buôn quan tám bán quan tư” mean?

Buy at eight quan, sell at four — commerce conducted at half price; the losing trade. Literally: buy at eight strings, sell at four

Is “buôn quan tám bán quan tư” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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